“What a long strange trip it’s been …”

It seems like just yesterday that I was making the claim that my 2016 resolution was going to be to focus my angling on exploring California. California has a great deal to offer. From steelhead to high mountain trout to stripers in the surf, I decided in January to make 2016 the year of reduced traveling and instead focus on the endless opportunities in my current home state.

Despite this commitment, it took no time to fail. From Nicaragua to Alaska to Florida, I’ve kept unexpectedly busy this year. And I don’t mind at all. There is nothing like fly fishing travel, and I always have my sight set on new destinations and experiences. However, the ideas behind that resolution are still something I want to honor.

Home waters can provide an incredible amount of growth and be a great way to hone skills. California is certainly a state that can provide endless potential and many lives worth of angling experiences. For just this coming weekend alone, I can choose between striped bass on the coast, trout in the Sierras, or salmon up north. I’m going with salmon.

So finally, with my bags unpacked, and an eight-month delay, I am dedicated myself to California. And this pursuit has already me to new experiences and places that I never new existed. Not too stoked on rattlesnakes, though. There are already some destination trips in the works, but I am equally excited about seeing a state that in its own right is an extraordinary destination. Exploring does not need to be on another continent. Even home waters can be explored, and the discoveries can be equally rewarding. With this in mind, I also recently purchased a 14-foot NRS raft. I can’t even imagine where that will take me. There’s much to look forward to.